Making independent comics is to make a statement about issues close to the heart. We are now in a time where we need more art and more avenues for art. And so, on June 5, 2018, World Environment Day, Brainded India presentsEcomixer –a12-houronline comic marathonfromnoon till midnight, with the theme ‘ecosystems’.

About a month ago, we invited some of the best and most promising artists we know, to make comics for us. Almost all of them have given us something, so we may have a little more than we promised now. We are really grateful to all of them (listed above). We hope that this showcase, and more efforts like this will help spread the growing independent comic scenario in the country. That would be the real way to thank these artists who are breaking new ground and laying the foundations of a movement.

The first edition of Ecomixer has been curated by deadtheduck and Appupen.

Ecomixer 01: Priya Kuriyan – A Killing

Once upon a time, Priya Kuriyan had a cat named Phantom, so it seems that she, Priya Kuriyan not Phantom, might be a cat person. Sometimes, she thinks it would be nice to be a stick insect, to just watch the world without being seen. This is Priya Kuriyan’s story, A Killing.

Meowoof! Prabha Mallya cannot pick between cats and dogs, just like she cannot choose between fussing around with inks and stubby pencils. She frequently has black fingernails. It is no surprise that she would choose to be a squid for all the squink. Read Prabha’s story, Zoologically Disappointing.

While Pardafash is not caught up in a generational feud with a bunch of fruit flies, the number one enemy of her ecosystem, she is an artist and musician. Recently, a cat named Inji also turned up out of the blue and decided that she likes the ecosystem, fruit flies and all. This is Party Animal, a story by Pardafash.

Kaviya Ilango who goes by wallflowergirlsays on the internet, identifies collective callousness, apathy, and the some-else-will-do-it attitude as the enemy of her ecosystem. Her interpretation of the theme ecosystems is a reflection of the everyday ecological destruction of the urban lifestyle.

A friend to all creatures who will not have her for breakfast, Dangercat is currently an artist living in Sydney, Australia; alternatively, she would be a domestic cat, ‘it would be nice to sleep for 20 hours at a stretch and not wake up with a headache.’ This is her comic.

Rohan Chakravarty is notorious for rolling up into a ball like a pangolin to avoid answering the phone or meeting people. He loves every non-human life-form equally but admits that some are more equal than others. This is his comic.

If Orijit Sen could be any other creature, he would be the planet’s largest tree – being a home to thousands of creatures, pumping out enough oxygen to kick global warming in the ass and looking magnificent to boot. This is his story — The Narrow Road, Unravelling.

In Antra’s whimsical world of colour and dynamism, there is dust. She uses too much tissue paper to clean the dust. She uses a rag but the rag gets dust. The dust settles. She uses more tiss… Outside of this vicious loop, Antra is a visual artist and this is her story, The Gritty Ghosts of Gurgaon.

The Doodle Mafia is not so great at segregating waste. And would rather just be a pet dog, because who doesn’t want to eat food, give love, and be a good boy. Luckily, dogs have paws, which are no good to segregate waste. She makes cheeky comics, mushy zines, and drawings. Her story is Bzzzz.

Debangshu Moulik has been making art ever since he could lift a crayon and he’s been working on making a career as a freelance illustrator. After class 12, when he didn’t hear back from many art and design colleges, he wasn’t disillusioned. Instead, he turned to the internet and made the web his teacher. This is his comic.

If Aniruddh Menon could be any other living creature, he imagines he would be the honey fungus, experiencing life as a mushroom among other larger, living creatures. In reality, he is an artist and musician, reconsidering his habit of ordering takeout, and learning to like cats. This is his story, Untitled (1).

Comix artist deadtheduck is definitely fruit person. If he could be any other living thing he would be a kappa pazham or red banana. The fruit is known locally as nature’s lubricant and has been declared by deadtheduck as a true national treasure for the effect it has on digestion. This is his comic, Blyt.

A multidisciplinary artist from Bombay, Sajid experiments with shape, colour and line to produce bespoke illustrations, pattern designs, portraiture and typography. He draws inspiration from music and art to create unique work that fuses traditional drawing techniques with digital technology. Read his comic here.

What is more ecologically destructive than being a human, living in a city in the 21st century? asks Appupen, the creator of worlds and comic stories. If he could, he would trade being human on land to be a creature in the sea, capable of travelling far and deep. Clearly, he is a fish person, a big fish person. This is his story, Dimension H.